What is a philanthropy advisor?

What is your dream for your future? What do you want for your family? What good would you like to do in the world? Much like an investment advisor, legal counsel or design architect, a philanthropic advisor is a specialist who has the know-how to turn your vision into reality.

A philanthropy advisor represents you and your values, identifies opportunities which resonate with you, gets you exactly the information you need to make sound giving decisions and does the follow-up to make sure your gifts have their intended result.

You don’t need to “be a Rockefeller” to be a thoughtful philanthropist. And you don’t need to be Warren Buffet or have your own foundation to want a hand with your giving. A good philanthropy advisor will help you identify the places their advice can be most valuable, even when your giving might feel modest. For example:

Developing a process to engage your children or grandchildren in giving

Reducing the volume of requests you need to consider… and most often decline

Identifying ….or developing opportunities to make a difference which get you excited

Exploring areas of giving where you have less expertise

Getting to know a nonprofit’s work well before introducing yourself to them as a potential major donor

Working through the family dynamics to energize the family’s giving or take it in a new direction

Figuring out to how to stretch your dollars further through highly strategic gifts or collaborations

Taking care of the research, due diligence and vetting to make sure your gift will be used well and your name will be protected

Working through the delicate process of stopping fund organizations you’ve supported over time

Analyzing how loans, philanthropic equity, social impact bonds, or impact investments as well as grants, might contribute to your giving strategy.

Giving should be satisfying, rewarding and enjoyable. A great philanthropy advisor will make sure it is.

Like to learn more? Read these insightful profiles of philanthropists and their advisors from the Chronicle of Philanthropy: